Russian President Vladimir Putin has delivered a blistering speech that appears to shatter any immediate prospect for peace in Ukraine, lashing out at European allies with crude insults and issuing stark new military threats.
Insults and Intimidation: Putin's Moscow Speech
In a major address in Moscow, the Russian leader accused Western politicians of conspiring to destroy Russia and vowed to continue the war unless his demands are met. He reserved particularly derogatory language for Europe, referring to its nations as 'European piglets' who he claimed had tried to profit from Russia's anticipated collapse.
'Everyone believed that Russia would be destroyed and collapsed in a short period of time,' Putin stated. 'And the European piglets immediately joined in this work... hoping to profit from the collapse of our country.' He asserted that all such plans had 'completely failed.'
A New Missile Threat and Uncompromising Demands
The speech contained a significant new military declaration. Putin announced that the Oreshnik nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile system would be deployed to Belarus within the next fortnight. Russian sources claim that from this location, the missile could reach London in approximately eight minutes.
Putin adamantly refused compromise on his objectives in the Donbas region. He told Russian commanders, 'The objectives of the special military operation will undoubtedly be achieved.' While expressing a preference for diplomacy, he warned that if the West refused substantive talks, Russia would achieve the 'liberation of its historical lands by military means,' including the creation of an expanded 'buffer security zone.'
Portrayal of a Degraded West and Predictions of Prolonged Conflict
Portraying Europe as in a state of 'complete degradation,' Putin predicted years of continued conflict. He suggested negotiations were unlikely with the current political elites in Europe but were 'inevitable' following a change in leadership. 'If not with the current politicians, then with the change of the current elites in Europe,' he said.
He also boasted of Russia's advanced weaponry, including the Burevestnik cruise missile and Poseidon underwater vehicle, claiming they would ensure Russia's strategic parity for decades.
This rhetoric unfolded against a backdrop of ongoing violence in Ukraine. As Putin spoke, Russian forces conducted a glide bomb attack on residential buildings in Zaporizhzhia, wounding 26 people, including a child, with rescuers searching for survivors in the rubble.
Putin's claims of military success, including the 'liberation' of 300 settlements, contrast with the stalled frontlines and his recent humiliation when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the town of Kupyansk, which Putin had previously declared under Russian control.
